ISLAMABAD: Twenty-eight civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) this week issued a joint statement, calling for the immediate restoration of social media platform X across the country.
X, formerly Twitter, first went down in Pakistan on Feb. 17 when a government official confessed to manipulating votes in the Feb. 8 general election. The admission came as former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other political parties staged protests countrywide, alleging the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had rigged elections, which it denies.
X’s prolonged disruption has raised widespread concerns about the state of democratic freedoms in the country, with the United States and several international organizations urging Pakistan to provide unhindered Internet access and leading digital rights activists calling the blockade a “blatant violation” of civil liberties.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar denied this week there was a ban on X, saying that people were regularly posting on the social media platform.
“Amnesty International is one of 28 civil society organizations that have signed a joint statement calling for immediate restoration of the social media platform,” the global human rights agency said in a post on X on Saturday.
“And urge the Pakistani authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression and access to information under the country’s international human rights commitments.”
The joint statement features the signatures of 28 civil society organizations including the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), Media Matters for Democracy (MMFD), HRCP, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) and others.
Issued on Friday, the statement expressed “profound concern” over the increasing incidences of Internet shutdowns and bans on social media platforms, especially in the days leading to the Feb. 8 election.
It also expressed alarm at the “complete silence” of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for failing to furnish any reasons for its actions, accusing it of exceeding its mandate to block an entire Internet platform.
“We urge the incoming government, regulators and other public bodies to recognize that any action that affects the flow of information and limits citizen’s ability to express themselves, has a direct and lingering impact on citizen’s human rights including the right to political participation,” the statement read.
Before the latest blockade, Pakistan experienced multiple Internet disruptions in recent weeks that made social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, X and Instagram inaccessible. Recent occurrences were on Jan. 20, Jan. 7 and Dec. 17, when Khan’s PTI party was holding virtual events.
The government had blamed those disruptions on “technical glitches.” Such shutdowns have previously had a devastating impact on Pakistan’s economy. The day after Khan’s arrest in May last year, Reuters reported that point-of-sale transactions routed through Pakistan’s main digital payment systems fell by around 50 percent according to the region’s two largest payments system operators, 1LINK and Habib Bank Limited.
28 civil society organizations demand immediate restoration of X in Pakistan
https://arab.news/4zz4m
28 civil society organizations demand immediate restoration of X in Pakistan
- X first went down on Feb. 17 when a government official confessed to manipulating votes amid countrywide protests against alleged rigging
- Amnesty International, Pakistan’s top human rights body among 28 civil society organizations demand government restore X in the country
US sees 18 percent rise in Pakistani students despite UGRAD pause, opens new USEFP headquarters
- USEFP inaugurates purpose-built campus in Islamabad as Fulbright program marks 75 years in Pakistan
- Undergraduate UGRAD program remains suspended but graduate scholarships and visas continue, US officials say
ISLAMABAD: The United States inaugurated a new purpose-built headquarters for the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) this week, as American officials reported an 18 percent rise in Pakistani students studying in the US, despite the suspension of a major undergraduate exchange scheme earlier this year.
The launch comes as the Fulbright program completes 75 years in Pakistan, the world’s largest US-funded scholarship portfolio for master’s and PhD study. Officials said growing student mobility and stable visa issuance reflect continued academic engagement between the two countries, even after the UGRAD exchange program was paused in April.
USEFP Executive Director Peter Moran told Arab News that Pakistani students are still securing visas without unusual difficulty and enrollment levels remain strong.
“We are not finding that Pakistani students are facing undue difficulties getting their visas when they want to go and study on their own. The number of Pakistani students who are studying in the United States, actually based on data from the year before last, because you know there’s always a lag, it’s up 18 percent,” Moran said, citing 2023 figures.
He said nearly 10,000 Pakistanis are currently enrolled in US institutions, including self-funded students. While UGRAD, which previously sent 100–130 undergraduates per year, remains paused under US budget adjustments, Moran said there is hope it will return.
“So, the UGRAD program for now is on pause ... the UGRAD program sent undergraduate, actually high school students. That program ended in April. We don’t know when that will come back, but we sure hope that it will.”
USEFP clarified that no reductions have been applied to graduate programs.
“There is no cut on Fulbright… and we don’t anticipate there being any,” Moran added.
Around 65 Pakistani scholars left for the US through Fulbright this year, another 10–12 departed under the Humphrey Fellowship, and USEFP expects next year’s Fulbright cohort to rise to 75–80.
The inauguration of the new headquarters brought together US officials, scholarship alumni and education leaders.
US Embassy Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy Andy Halus said the new facility reflects the depth of the bilateral academic partnership.
“We have over 9,000 students in Pakistan that have had experience in the United States on the Fulbright programs that started 70 years ago. Our commitment to sending more and more students to the United States on the Fulbright program is strong and it’s going to continue.”
Among attendees was Fulbright alumnus Aftab Haider, the CEO of Pakistan Single Window, the government-backed digital trade clearance platform. He credited the scholarship with shaping his career:
“I am a very proud Fulbrighter from 2008. I think it is one of the most transformational programs that can be offered to young Pakistanis to have the opportunity to be educated abroad, come back to Pakistan and contribute in public service delivery as well as in enhancement of the private sector.”
